Puppy owes life to kindness of strangers

Puppy owes life to kindness of strangers

Mark Harrison photo

Charlie, a seven-month-old collie cross, poses at North Simcoe Veterinarian Services with, clockwise from back left, Kim Blondin, Huronia Animal Control owner/officer Randy Bidan, Dr. Edith Rumney, Sheila Lalonde and Megan Pepinski. The dog has been brought back to health after a terrible accident in August in which she suffered a severely broken back leg.

MIDLAND – After jumping from the second floor of a King Street apartment in August, it seemed Charlie, a four-month-old collie-cross puppy, would face a tragic ending.
“The tenant had left the window open, and Charlie jumped from the window, landed on the sidewalk and broke her leg,” said Huronia Animal Control officer Randy Bidan.
Midland police and animal control services were both called to help the dog.
“It was during a festival in Midland, and they had blocked off the entire street,” recalled Bidan. “There was a mob of people gathered around. A young man held Charlie in a blanket until we arrived.”
Bidan said the owners came forward, but financially could not see a way to have the dog treated. A man standing in the crowd anonymously dropped a $100 bill.
“He never left his name, and we still don’t know who he was,” Bidan said. “We scooped the dog up and got her off for medical attention. X-rays revealed it was a badly broken leg.”
Dr. Joel Rumney of North Simcoe Veterinary Services said the fracture was in Charlie’s knee.
“The choice was between amputating the leg, putting Charlie down, or repairing the break with a $3,000 surgery,” said Rumney, who noted bandaging, daily care and administration of medications can also be a challenge for owners.
This put surgery out of the price range for Charlie’s owners, who surrendered her to animal control.
“We deal with a lot of injured pets,” Rumney said. “Some can be easy to work with, and some are more of a challenge. Charlie is exactly what you like to see.”
With the help of Huronia Animal Control and a Penetanguishene pet store, Rumney paid for the surgery.
“Charlie was happy to be alive and getting help,” Rumney said. “It was a lengthy and challenging surgery, but everything went well.”
Charlie, now seven months old, has fully recovered and is living with a new family.
“She would have been put down if nobody had stepped in,” Rumney said. “I handle a lot of dogs over the years, and Charlie was one in a thousand, a sweetheart. The girls at the clinic fell in love with her.”
Bidan said he would like to thank everyone who donated: “You really helped to make a difference for a nice dog.”